Meghan Markle Just Signed with a Powerhouse Talent Agency. Is She Returning to Acting?

(Image credit: Getty)

published 29 April 2023

Big news came out this week about the future trajectory of Meghan Markle’s career—Variety reported Thursday that she signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME), and that her “powerhouse agency team will focus on building Meghan’s global enterprise,” the outlet reported.

In addition to representing Meghan, WME will also represent Archewell, the content creation label she shares with husband Prince Harry. (They have deals with Spotify, which released Meghan’s podcast “Archetypes” last year, as well as Netflix, where the couple’s Harry & Meghan docuseries became the most-streamed documentary premiere in Netflix’s history, with 81.5 million minutes watched in its first week.)

Variety reports that “film and television production, brand partnerships, and overall business-building will be explored.” Signing with an agent begs the question that has been asked repeatedly since this news broke—does this mean Meghan is returning to her acting roots? (Prior to marrying into the royal family in 2018, Meghan had a long career as an actress, most notably appearing as Rachel Zane on the television show Suits.) Variety clears that up, adding “acting will not be an area of focus.”

What will be, however, is “her lifelong advocacy for women, mothers, and girls” which the outlet said “will remain a thread in her professional work.”

On its social media channels, WME confirmed the partnership, writing “We are honored to announce that WME now represents Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, in all areas. The agency will be focusing on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency and its broader ecosystem, including film and television production, brand partnerships, and more.”

Meghan will be represented by renowned agent Ari Emanuel, who will lead a team that includes Brad Slater and Jill Smoller, according to WME. Smoller represents Meghan’s close friend Serena Williams, Us Weekly reports. Emanuel was famously fictionalized in the hit HBO show Entourage.

According to Tatler, Meghan’s signing with WME marks the culmination of a years-long process of global talent agencies courting her—not surprising, since Meghan is one of the most famous women in the world. Meghan’s reported future projects include a relaunch of her lifestyle blog, The Tig, and even a possible memoir of her own, a la Harry’s Spare.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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